Grants Office

Grant funding, by providing crucial supplemental resources, can help Hagerstown Community College achieve its vision, mission, strategic goals, and institutional priorities. To achieve individual project goals, it is necessary to carefully determine which grants will fit best with institutional priorities. To that end, all faculty and staff who have ideas regarding grant opportunities should contact the Grants Office and/or submit a Grant Approval Form before proceeding with any grant-related tasks. Grants Office staff will ensure that prospective grant-funded programs meet priorities established by executive officers.

Furthermore, it is important to manage each and every grant with fiscal and programmatic integrity. Grant management tasks are made easier if guidelines and procedures are understood and followed. The Grants Office is prepared to assist grant staff and project directors in this endeavor. Before contacting a funder to propose a change to any existing grant, please contact the Grants Office to ensure that changes to grant-funded projects are also in keeping with institutional priorities.

Grant Administration Guidelines – These guidelines will assist the grant project director provide significant leadership to achieve the goals of the grant. As we work to accomplish the goals and objectives of the grant, there will be challenges to resolve along the way. These guidelines are designed to help increase your success and minimize any difficulties you encounter as you carry out what is now a legally binding contract.

Approval Form for Grants – This form is to be used by HCC employees who are interested in applying for grant funds for which the college is the sole or lead agency or in which the college is a partner and not the lead agency. The first two pages of this form must be completed and approval signatures obtained before proposal development takes place. The third page of this form, “Final Signature for Submission of Grant Proposal” must be completed and approval signatures obtained before proposal submission takes place. No employee shall apply for or accept any grant using the name Hagerstown Community College without first receiving approval up through the President. All applications for funds will be signed and approved by the President.

Change Form for Grants - This form is to be used by HCC Grant Project Directors/Managers who are interested in applying for a change to an existing grant for which the college is the sole or lead agency, particularly those changes that are significant enough to require funding agencies’ approval. All requests for material changes to existing grants will be signed and approved by the President before being submitted to a funding agency, in order to ensure that such changes fit with HCC policy as well as funding agency requirements.

Time and Effort Report – Time and Effort Reporting is required by federal regulation and college policy for all individuals working on federally funded sponsored projects and makes salary sources for the period congruent with effort spent for the period This reporting sets forth two things:

Effort supported (paid) by a sponsored project (grant) has been performed as promised.

Effort expended in support of a federally sponsored project but not paid by the project has been performed as promised.

Signed effort reports are considered legal documents in which an individual attests to the accuracy of the effort spent on sponsored projects.

Erroneously certifying effort reports can be viewed as fraud.

We are obliged by federal regulations to exercise good stewardship of those funds.